… why live in one reality, when you can live in thousands?

I have recently undertaken the role of Dungeon Master for a group of friends. They have never played D&D before and I have never DM’d before. It should be interesting. We all have a mutual love of books so I have decided to create a campaign inside The Library of Forgotten Shards – a world that is greatly influenced by Magic: The Gathering. Welcome to my world …

Only the elves remember. The Kingdom of Alara was once great; a thriving civilization built by the Shards. It is now only a shadow of its former self. The Shards, or clans, ruled together; five great cultures maintained balance with their differences and combined their strengths to create a prosperous society. The Shard of Bant provided order, the Angels patrolled both among the mortals and themselves – no one was above their law. The Shard of Naya was a clan of beasts and fierce warriors that protected the kingdom from those who wished it harm. The Shard of Esper was a house of intelligence and artifice, they created the ingenious machines that kept the kingdom running smoothly. The Shard of Jund was wild and prized freedom above all else, they were the creative energy that spurred the kingdom forward. Finally, the Shard of Grixis managed the dead.

The Kingdom or Aara was governed by five God-like beings: Elspeth, Ajani, Nicol Bolas, Sharkhan Vol, and Tezzeret. Every government is prone to corruption, and Nicol Bolas was poison. He corrupted Tezzeret, poured his poison over him until Tezzeret was over taken by evil. It is one thing for a chaotic being to be filled with hate but quite another when the evil is held inside a genius. Tezzeret began to sew discord and hatred amongst the Shards, he turned friends into enemies and peace into war. A truly devastating war. Only Elspeth, who was pure of soul and courageous of heart, could stop the devastation. She used her own life force to extract the spirit of each Shard and locked them within the pages of books to keep them forever separate.

With their spirits gone, the warring citizens of Alara became peaceful once more. During the fighting, the God-like beings that ruled them vanished. The kingdom never regained its former greatness, never prospered. Kingdoms that have lost their spirit rarely do. It is said that the lost Shards were hidden within the great library of the university, no one really believes in them anymore but folk stories never really loosen their grasps on imaginations. It is not officially called The Library of Forgotten Shards but that’s how everyone thinks of it.